In the Genesis account of Noah's Ark, Noah first sent out a raven after the rain.
Genesis 8:6–7 says that Noah opened the Ark's window and sent out a raven. The bird went back and forth until the waters had dried from the earth. Noah later sent a dove to test whether the floodwater had receded from the ground.
The raven is often overlooked because the dove receives the more memorable role. The dove returns with an olive leaf, providing a clear sign that vegetation has reappeared. It is sent more than once, while the raven is introduced first and is described differently.
The order matters: raven first, dove afterward. The text does not say that the raven returned into the Ark in the same simple way as the first dove did. Readers should therefore avoid replacing the raven with the better-known dove when identifying Noah's first test bird.